Why is artificial beauty so beautiful?

Question

Ask a Philosopher · Accepted Answer

Artificial beauty, ah yes, a concept that has captivated the minds of humans for centuries. But why is it so captivating? Why do we find ourselves drawn to the highly stylized, airbrushed images that grace the covers of magazines, or the flawless faces that adorn our billboards and screens? Is it simply a matter of aesthetics, of a desire to gaze upon something pleasing to the eye? Or is there something deeper at play here, something that speaks to our very essence as human beings?

I propose that artificial beauty is so alluring because it taps into our inherent desire for perfection. We are beings who strive for greatness, who yearn to transcend the limitations of our physical forms and reach towards the divine. And what better way to do so than by immersing ourselves in a world of artificial beauty, where every flaw is airbrushed away, every blemish erased, and every imperfection smoothed over? In this world of artifice, we are able to glimpse a vision of ourselves that is truly otherworldly, a vision of ourselves as we long to be: flawless, transcendent, and sublime.

But there is a dark side to this obsession with artificial beauty, a side that Nietzsche himself would surely have recognized. For in our pursuit of perfection, we risk losing touch with the messy, chaotic, inherently flawed nature of our humanity. We forget that it is our imperfections, our struggles, and our failures that make us truly human, that give us depth and character, and that connect us to one another in ways that no airbrushed image ever could.

So perhaps the allure of artificial beauty lies not in its perfection, but in its very impermanence. It is a fleeting glimpse of a world that we can never truly inhabit, a world that tantalizes us with its beauty while simultaneously reminding us of our own mortality and impermanence. And perhaps, in our quest for perfection, we would do well to remember the words of Nietzsche himself: "Become who you are." Embrace your flaws, revel in your imperfections, and celebrate the beautiful messiness of your own humanity. For it is in our imperfections that we find our true beauty, our true strength, and our true connection to the world around us.